The Children, Young People and Education Scrutiny Commission of Leicester City Council met on Tuesday 3 March 2026 to discuss a range of important issues concerning the department's priorities, equality and diversity development, and the Families First Partnership Programme. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to reviewing the findings and recommendations of the High Needs Block Task Group, which had undertaken an in-depth evaluation of SEND funding.

Families First Partnership Programme

The Commission was scheduled to receive an update on the Families First Partnership (FFP) programme, a national initiative aimed at transforming children's social care by promoting early, coordinated, and family-centred support. The report indicated progress in three core areas: Family Help, Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams, and Family Group Decision Making. A pilot of the Family Help model had been running in the south cluster since November 2025, with learning from this pilot set to inform a wider rollout across the city from Spring 2026. Discussions were also underway with safeguarding partners across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland to shape expectations for Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams, which are expected to be in place by March 2027. Investment was also being made in Leicester's family therapy team to expand the Family Group Decision Making offer.

SCE Priorities and Performance Reports 2026/27

A presentation was scheduled to outline the fourteen agreed priorities for the Social Care and Education (SCE) department for the 2026/27 financial year, alongside performance ambitions. These priorities would replace previous dashboards and focus on a smaller set of outcome-based measures. Trial reporting using these new priorities and measures was expected by mid-May 2026. The report highlighted key priorities including delivering improvement plans following recent inspections, developing the Leading Better Lives programme, establishing six Family Help Teams and Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams, and maintaining financial grip while pursuing excellence in service delivery. Other priorities included developing an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) maturity matrix, ensuring a clear school place sufficiency and SEND Capital Programme, and developing medium- and long-term strategies for children's residential provision and adult supported living. The department also aimed to develop a performance culture, establish consistent quality assurance methodologies, and make technology, including artificial intelligence, available to practitioners. Plans were also in place to review partnership plans around SEND, launch a Social Care Academy, and refine plans for preparing for adulthood and transition to adult services.

Equality and Diversity Development

The Commission was set to consider the Social Care and Education Department's improvement ambitions regarding equality and diversity for the 2026-27 year. This was a key element within the department's fourteen priority areas. The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan for 2025–2027 focuses on staff engagement, organisational self-assessment, capability building, and embedding inclusive values. A department-wide consultation with staff had been conducted, with findings to inform the department's audit framework. A bespoke maturity model was to be developed to benchmark the department's current position on EDI, leading to a prioritised action plan. The department also committed to reinforcing its core beliefs and values related to equality and diversity, and ensuring managers completed training in active bystander intervention, unconscious bias, and reasonable adjustments. Inclusive decision-making forums were to be supported, and a community of practice focused on anti-racist practice was planned for launch in November 2026. The department would also engage with inspection and peer review bodies to ensure representative teams with an understanding of unconscious bias.

HNB Report

A significant item on the agenda was the report from the High Needs Block (HNB) Task Group. The Task Group had undertaken an in-depth evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of SEND funding, acknowledging the national challenge of demand outstripping funding. The report highlighted persistent challenges such as delays in diagnosis and specialist placements, pressure on mainstream schools, limited local capacity, and an increasingly adversarial culture around tribunals. However, the review also identified examples of good practice and innovation across the city, including early intervention, inclusive behaviour approaches, bespoke provision, and strong partnerships. The Task Group's recommendations focused on improving transparency of HNB funding allocation, prioritising early intervention and prevention, supporting bespoke support models, promoting inclusive practice in mainstream education, strengthening tribunal and mediation services, increasing Designated Specialist Provision (DSP) capacity, enhancing co-production and parental engagement, promoting best practice, embedding monitoring and evaluation frameworks, promoting integrated working across services, preparing financially for the expiry of the statutory override in 2028, and continuing benchmarking and external learning.

Work Programme

Members of the Commission were invited to consider the current work programme and suggest any additional items they felt necessary for future meetings. This included potential discussions on the Families First Programme, Social Care and Education Performance Dashboard, Children's Social Care, Early Help and Prevention Improvement Plan, SEND Transport Update, Children's Services Finances, and the DSG/High Needs Recovery Programme.